The First 2 Weeks of Parker's Mission

 Parker started home MTC on Monday November 10th. I came home from work at lunch time and he was pretty grumpy. I could tell he wasn't stoked and was feeling overwhelmed, bored, scared, and tired. He was better by dinner time and confided in me that he was not angry with me, just fearful with what his future holds. He's said a few times that I'm "forcing" him to go on a mission but the reality is that it's his priesthood duty has a chosen son of God and an honor to serve the Lord. That doesn't mean that it isn't incredibly hard and scary. But I'm definitely not forcing him. Strongly guiding him maybe?

Anyway, it was an intense week. Tuesday was Veterans Day so I relegated that day for projects. Rayleigh and Jack needed to complete their science fair projects and Ella needed to complete her culture fair project. We spent all day working on research and posted presentations. Ray was diligent all day in her efforts and I felt badly because her partner was MIA. Jack had Alec come over to work on their project but all they did was shake sodas on the trampoline, climb on the roof, and throw candy in the living room. By 3pm I was DONE with Alec and took him home. Their poster was atrocious and I made Jack redo the entire thing. We aren't trying to win any contests here, but you can't turn in a big project looking like a toddler did it. Ella's project was fun to work on. She chose Ireland so we found Papa's great grandpa who came to St. Charles from Ireland and printed out her family tree to trace the lineage. Pretty cool! Irish culture and traditions are so interesting!

By the end of the week, we were all craving some down time so after we cleaned the church (by ourselves because no one else bothered to show up) we snuggled up and watched movies and ate snacks all day. It was raining and we lit candles and even Parker was able to sit down and enjoy the day with us! Sunday we went to the Laguna Hills Ward to support Angel and the boys during their primary program. Angel is the song leader and it's been a tough calling for her but she did an amazing job! The kids were so cute and it was nice seeing so many happy, familiar faces. Parker said one last heartfelt goodbye to my parents and that was pretty tough. That night, Tanner and Parker joined Gavin as he was set apart as an elder. That was a neat experience for them.

The few days before Parker flew to Utah were chuck full. We had to get Parker all packed, the kids had their first play rehearsal for Aladdin and there was a parent meeting to attend, I finally saw a doctor to get the ball rolling on HRT for perimenopause, Jack had a soccer party, Ray had to bring mashed potatoes to the mutual Thanksgiving feast. All the while, I'm trying to stay positive and be there for Parker as the minute tick by closer to his leaving date....